Dad, daughter firefighters make history in Tucson

Christa Clayton had a burning desire to follow in her father's footsteps. Her dad's feet just happen to be clad in bulky, flame-proof boots.

Tucson Fire Department Capt. Tim Clayton, 56, is in his 34th year of service. His daughter, 23, joined after graduating from the Tucson Fire Department's Public Safety Academy in June. They are the first father-daughter duo in department history, said spokesman Capt. Norm Carlton.

Christa Clayton is one of 35 women in the ranks of about 640 uniformed Tucson firefighters. Clayton said that she did not grow up playing with plastic fire trucks but that she had always been a tomboy.

She also recalls bringing her father's name plaque to her first-grade class's show and tell. "I was so proud that my dad was a firefighter,'' she said.

She still is, even though her choice to follow suit didn't happen until some time later.

Clayton was a University of Arizona junior majoring in psychology when she asked herself, "Why am I doing this?'' "I needed to find a real career,'' she said. "I like doing something different every day. I knew I didn't want to sit behind a desk.''

So she moved back in her with her folks and signed up to join the Fire Department.

Clayton knows she made the right choice, but she did have moments wondering what she got into during the 22 grueling weeks at the academy. "You won't believe how many people come out the first day and don't come back the second day,'' Carlton said.

She never thought of giving up. "Every day we would have a moment of silence at the flag and I would tell myself, 'You can do this.'''

No one else had any doubts.

"It's wonderful for me,'' Tim Clayton said. "I'm very proud of her. She's here for the right reasons, not to champion any cause but because she wants to be a good firefighter.''

Public service runs in the family. Mom Melisa Clayton, 54, is a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital. Older brother, Matt, 29, is an emergency medical technician with Southwest Ambulance. He too hopes to join the Fire Department.

Both grandfathers were in the military. One grandmother worked in a doctor's office. The father and daughter firefighters work at different stations but share days off and talk daily. Christa Clayton is at Station 12. Her father has been at Station 1 for more than three decades.

"He always has a smile, a positive attitude,'' Carlton said. "People are always like, 'All right! I get to work with Tim.'

Christa Clayton is also well-accepted in the department except, she said, for a little ribbing. "I'll hear 'Daddy's on the phone,' when he calls,'' she said. "It's all in good humor.''

In reality, she said, it's like she has several dads and plenty of big brothers and sisters since she knew so many firefighters growing up.

"She came here as a kid and she would watch TV, people would offer her something to eat,'' Carlton said. "Now they are saying, 'There's the mop. Go clean the bathroom.'

Christa Clayton is not the only one who has made a major adjustment. She said her mom now has to get used to a husband and a daughter being away for days during lengthy firefighting shifts.

"She bought a dog,'' Christa Clayton said. "That's her new baby.''